Tags
Abstract, Achilles, Bibliography, Hero, Hero's Journey, Homer, Iliad, Joseph Campbell, Monomyth, Odysseus, Odyssey
Annotated Bibliography
Byrne, Mark Levon. “Heroes and Jungians”. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Winter 2000), pp. 13-37
A good discussion with references to the psychological aspect of the heroic pattern including the origin of the hero, various myths, the pattern itself, and differing views that intersect and diverge from Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and Carl Jung’s hero’s journey.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 1972.
A step-by-step description of each stage of the monomythic structure, as they fall within the categories of separation, initiation, and return with relevant references to myths from around the world. Campbell explores all seventeen steps of his monomyth theory while providing specific scenes and tie-ins from myths and epics particularly from the Mediterranean and near- east. Also included is a reference to the Cosmogonic Cycle and the general structure involved in that
Dimock, George. The Unity of the Odyssey. Amherst, Mass: University of Massachusetts Press, 1989
An extremely detailed analysis of each book and the relevant parts of the Odyssey focusing on the image of Odysseus and what it means to be the hero. Provides a straightforward discussion which can be viewed through the monomyth lens.
Dowden, Ken. “Fluctuating Meanings: “Passage Rites” in Ritual, Myth, Odyssey, and the Greek Romance.” Bucknell Review 43.1 (1999): 221-. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.
A discussion of the definition of “initiation” and it’s place within the Odyssey, Iliad, and Aeneid. Also contains sections which coincide with Hero’s Journey discussion involving separation and return.
Holtsmark, Erling B. . “Spiritual Rebirth of the Hero: “Odyssey” 5″. The Classical Journal, Vol. 61, No. 5 (Feb., 1966), pp. 206-210
A good examination of Book 5 of the Odyssey and it’s possible place of the Separation and Initiation threshold of Odysseus’ journey. A solid catalyst for analyzing the monomyth as it might pertain to sections as well as entire myths and epics.
Homer, and Stanley Lombardo. Iliad. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1997. Print.
User friendly translation of the Iliad. Stanley Lombardo’s translation is by far one of the easiest Iliad works to read and his use of italics to isolate the Homeric similes highlights the visual display Homer has crafted with his words. Although he does take some artistic license with translating specific phrases or words the work remains as close to literal as possible while conveying the oral beauty and poetics of the epic.
Homer, and Stanley Lombardo. Odyssey. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2000. Print.
User friendly translation of the Odyssey. Stanley Lombardo presents an Odyssey which allows the reader to move through the story without getting caught up in the difficult nature of the work. By removing the literal and archaic nature of most of the story, while retaining its accuracy, the translation allows for a better appreciation of the content rather than the mechanical nature of a literally translated epic story.
Houston, Jean. The Hero and the Goddess : the Odyssey as mystery and initiation. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992.
An in-depth guide to approaching the Odyssey within the bounds of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth structure. Offers interesting exercises to further enhance the reading and understanding of the work and monomyth. One such exercise involves small groups acting out the siren scene. Multiple individuals sing the praises of a single person and exchange places until time is called. This recreates the feelings and experience Odysseus would have encountered when passing by the Sirens and hearing their words.
Louden, Bruce. The Iliad : structure, myth, and meaning. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
An exploration of the narrative pattern of the Iliad and an examination of the themes and scenes that permeate the work. Attention is paid to other myths from the Near East providing an opening into utilizing the hero’s journey pattern for the epic as a whole and for specific sections.
Louden, Bruce. The Odyssey : Structure, Narration, and Meaning. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.
An overview of the narrative pattern of the Odyssey with attention paid to the chronology of events. Some sections, while not mentioning the heroic pattern, provide distinct parallels to the overall template.
Monomyth website, Orias, UC Berkeley. Office of Resources for International and Area Studies. Sept. 2006. University of California, Berkeley. 14 Apr. 2112. http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/
Basic overview of the monomyth structure using epics from three different cultures to demonstrate the pattern. Included in the site are exercises and tools that provide information about the stories and how they fit the monomythic outline.
Page, Denys. Folktales in Homer’s Odyssey. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1973.
An examination of four sections of the Odyssey in which Odysseus recounts the places, people, and creatures he has encountered. This book provides a source from which one might examine the initiation aspect of Odysseus’ journey.
The Hero’s Journey Mythic Stories of the Heroic Quest. Karen Wurl. Kennesaw State University. 14 Apr. 2012. http://www.kennesaw.edu/theatre/StudyGuides/Hero-Journey/index-hj.html
A simple website discussing the monomyth and it’s parts along with information about Joseph Campbell. The site includes the ten commandments to reading myth as described by Joseph Campbell as well as a page summarizing Carl Jung’s influence on Campbell’s work.
The Hero’s Three-Part Journey. GVSU Faculty. Grand Valley Statue University. 14 Apr. 2012. http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Hero.htm
General side-by-side comparison of Campbell’s Monomyth, Van Gennep’s initiation rituals, and Propp’s 31 Folktale functions. Propp’s section is expanded upon and each of the 31 functions are listed in order and separated into corresponding sections.
Virgil, and Robert Fitzgerald. The Aeneid. New York: Vintage, 1990. Print.
Translation of The Aeneid.
Abstracts
Dowden, Ken. “Fluctuating Meanings: “Passage Rites” in Ritual, Myth, Odyssey, and the Greek Romance.” Bucknell Review 43.1 (1999): 221-. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.
The purpose of this article is to identify the significance of the initiation ritual and “rite of passage” within the Trojan War tradition, myth, and literature as well as Greek society. Ken Dowden examines the significance of the “rite of passage” as it pertains to the narratives of the Trojan War and accompanying myths as well as the importance of the “rite of passage” to the Odyssey in particular. Through his exploration of initiation, Dowden presents the process as being an integral part of who we are as human beings. As a result of what he calls “hard-wiring,” the idea of initiation becomes a part of mythic narratives.
Within these mythic narratives comes the significance to the Trojan War tradition. Dowden approaches the initiation from multiple angles within the literary portions of the Trojan War invoking the stories of man characters but in particular he uses Odysseus as well as Philoctetes to present the “rite of passage.” For Trojan War scholarship the use of multiple characters provides a commonality across the mythic tradition that explores the idea of the Hero’s Journey as it applies to various characters not just the ones who we might view as the most prominent within the tradition as a whole.
Dowden presents the idea of initiation and myth in a slow build up which allows for a gradual understanding of the importance of the “rite of passage.” One aspect which he touches upon involves the use of travel within the narratives to act as an extension of initiation. By framing travel within the bounds of the rite of passage, Dowden places the hero’s journey on a physical level as well as a psychological and ritualistic level. Once this has been established he moves onto the Odyssey and how the rite of passage “myth” takes on different forms through travel, adventures, and the episodes of the story as a whole. Each of these episodes may be viewed individually or as a whole, yet they remain as instances of the initiation ritual and the other aspects of the hero’s journey, the separation and return.
The ideas presented by Dowden do a great job of illustrating one of the major aspects of the monomyth or hero’s journey, the initiation. He does an excellent job of presenting his ideas with solid evidence to support his claims, but he leaves the separation and return without a more substantial examination in their relation to the passage rites. While each facet of the journey can stand alone, looking at them in tandem provides a clearer view of the process and the integration of each into the Trojan War narrative.
Holtsmark, Erling B. Spiritual Rebirth of the Hero: “Odyssey” 5″. The Classical Journal, Vol. 61, No. 5 (Feb., 1966), pp. 206-210
This article by Erling Holtsmark aims to discuss the rebirths Odysseus goes through in the Odyssey and in particular the process he goes through from Ogygia until appearing on Scheria. Holtsmark argues that the entire time Odysseus spends on Calypso’s island is the prelude to his rebirth both spiritually and physically. Through this examination of such a pivotal moment in Odysseus’ journey, Holtsmark shows how the hero’s journey and the different aspects of it can work on a micro level within the macro journey of the entire epic.
For the Trojan War tradition, this article displays the mutability of the hero’s journey. While most scholars and students might view the Odyssey as a singular story arc that contains a separation, initiation, and return, Holtsmark takes one “episode” and shows the same elements. It is through this process that we can better understand the monomyth or hero’s journey within the Trojan War as a whole. If one book of Odysseus’ journey contains all the elements that comprise a monomyth, the other aspects of the tradition might contain the same and serve as different moments in which the story evolves from one journey to another.
The idea of a spiritual rebirth is one that not many people encounter when first exploring the hero’s journey. By showing that the process of rebirth can have both a physical and a spiritual aspect, Holtsmark provides Trojan War scholarship with yet another tool which can be used to explore the myths. By dissecting the scene on Ogygia, the argument for Odysseus’ rebirth can be seen clearly and understood within the local narrative as well as the narrative of the entire epic.
The argument made by Holtsmark for the spiritual rebirth of Odysseus is an intriguing one especially if we look at the other books of the Odyssey. In discussing the time with Calypso, it raises questions as to the parts of the epic and how they themselves might be smaller instances of rebirth or the hero’s journey. Rather than getting blinded by the enormity of the epic as a whole, looking to the smaller sections allows for a closer examination of the cycle of the hero’s journey and its constituent parts. With this approach, we can better understand the monomyth and its relation to the Trojan War tradition and each of its many narrative features.